Chapter Eight #3
“Me either.” Elle held up the bags of candy cap caramels and M&M’s. “Let me pay for these. My boss is waiting for me and she’s going to wonder what’s keeping me.”
“On the house,” Eunice said. “Come back and see me, Elle. We’ll have tea and talk.”
“I’d like that. When I find our bail jumper, I will.” She hesitated, then blurted, “Be careful. I think Dianne Foster was killed because she talked to us. You helped Ronan a few days ago with surveillance footage. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
“He already told me to be careful when he came in last night.”
Elle freed her hand, then impulsively drew Eunice in for a hug. “Tell your sister I can do pro bono work from anywhere. I’m happy to help.”
Eunice hugged her back. “I will. Take care, Elle.”
“You too. Follow me to the door so you can lock up.”
Eunice chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
Elle looked for Annie when she walked out into the cold night, but the young woman was gone. She started across the parking lot, then stopped when she heard a noise behind her, the scuff of a shoe on the pavement.
Slowing her step, she glanced over her shoulder. There was no one there, but Elle had heard something. She turned back to the pharmacy, walking around the corner into the alley, her hand on the weapon in her shoulder holster.
A man wearing a hoodie was huddled over one of the trash cans, picking through the garbage. At first, she wondered if it was Miller, but this man was too short. Miller was six-two and this man was closer to Elle’s own five-ten. He was also younger than Miller. Early twenties, maybe.
He looked over at her, his face shrouded in shadow. “Can you spare ten bucks? I’m hungry.”
“I’m happy to buy you a meal.” She wouldn’t outright refuse to give someone money, but it was safer—and healthier for the person asking—if she bought them food. Too often the money went straight to drugs or booze. But she couldn’t let him go hungry.
“No. I want ten bucks.” He took a step toward her, his shoulders squaring aggressively. “Or fuck off.”
Elle took a step back. She didn’t want an altercation in a dark alley. She slipped her hand in her pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. “It’s all I have on me.” She set it on the ground and placed a rock on top of it so it wouldn’t blow away. “Take care.”
Hoping she’d done the right thing, she jogged across the street to where Sara waited.
Ronan was still there, too.
Both of them rolled down their windows as Elle approached.
“Everything okay?” Ronan asked. “Why did you check the alley?”
“I thought I heard something. It ended up being a man digging through the garbage. I gave him cash for some dinner. No big deal.”
“What took you so long in the store?” Sara asked. “I was getting worried.”
“Just…helping out a friend.”
Sara blinked. “Which friend?”
“Eunice, the store owner. She’s a nice lady.”
“Who was the young woman you followed into the pharmacy?” Ronan asked, because of course he’d figured it out.
“Just another woman who needed a friend.”
Ronan studied her for a long, long moment, a speculative look in his eyes that softened into something like approval as the seconds ticked by. “Have a good evening, Ms. Randolph. Ms. Lambert. See you tomorrow.”
Elle smiled at him. “Thank you for the donuts.”
“Not a problem.” He rolled up his window, gave her a little wave, and drove away.
Sara was silent as Elle got behind the wheel and buckled her seat belt.
“What was that about?” she finally asked.
“Which thing?” Elle asked carefully.
“Who was the girl with the baby?”
“Young woman. Bruises. Abusive husband.”
“You offered to help her.” It was a statement, said with fond certainty.
“I did. Gave her my cell, told her to call me if she needed legal representation.”
Sara’s eyes widened almost comically. “Elle! You can’t practice here.”
“I can.”
Sara stared for another long moment that became uncomfortable. “What have you done, Ellie?” she asked, an unmistakable tone of hurt in her voice.
“Took the bar. Got my license. Just in case.”
Sara sighed. “Alexis.”
“Yeah.”
“She keeps trying to poach you. Has she succeeded?”
“To be honest, I don’t know. But I don’t have to work at a law firm to help women get out from under abusive spouses. I have free time.” Elle sounded defensive and she hated that. “I need to help, Sara.”
“I know you do.” Her gaze dropped to the bag in Elle’s hand. “More mushroom candy?”
Topic changed. One of them always changed the subject when they got to this point. “Yep. And M&M’s for you.”
“Gimme.”
Elle tossed her the bag. “You want to try some of my candy cap caramels?”
“Still no.”
Elle opened the bag and popped one into her mouth. “Good. I didn’t want to share with you, anyway.”
Sara laughed. “Let’s go back to the inn. I’m starving.”
Mendocino, California
Friday, January 23, 9:00 p.m.
“Dad?”
Ronan paused the television and looked to where Penny stood at the window, looking toward the bluffs. “What is it? Tell me it’s not another jumper.”
He didn’t mean a bail jumper. People coming to the bluffs to die by suicide was, unfortunately, not rare. He could have sympathy for their mental illness while dreading the outcome of their actions.
“No, not a jumper. More like a hunter.”
Ronan was on his feet in a heartbeat, walking to the window. “Who?”
Penny gave him a cheeky grin. “Ms. Randolph of the amazing jacket and boots.”
“Still angling for that jacket and those boots for your birthday?”
“I need to start early and remind you often so you don’t forget. You are getting up there in age, you know.”
He hugged her to him. “Brat.”
“You love me,” she sang.
“I really do.” He pressed a kiss to her temple, then released her to peer through the window.
Sure enough, there was a woman standing alone about two feet from the edge, head tilted back as she stared up at the sky. The parka was familiar.
The ponytail the woman wore was even more familiar.
“You have good eyes.”
“Actually, I really don’t. I wasn’t sure it was her until just now.”
He laughed. “Brat,” he said again. “I think Puff needs some exercise.” He put on his coat, clipped a leash to the dog’s collar, and walked outside into the night.
He was lucky enough to live only a two-minute walk from the bluffs. He and Puff made it to Elle in one.
“Elle?” he called, not wanting to scare her.
She turned, a smile blooming on her pretty face. “Ronan.”
“I’m glad you’re here, but…why?”
“You said these bluffs were better, and I wanted to see for myself. Also, I figured if you were going to follow me, I’d make it convenient for you to get home.”
He laughed and her smile brightened. She looked different tonight. Happier.
He liked that.
“Who is this pretty boy?” she asked, holding out her hand for Puff to sniff.
“He’s Penny’s dog, Puff, and he’ll leave white hair all over your clothes.”
“I don’t mind.” She crouched down and cupped Puff’s big head in her hands. “You are a very pretty boy.” She petted his face and Puff closed his eyes in contentment.
Ronan had never been jealous of a dog before.
She gave Puff one last stroke down his back before rising, and together they looked out into the vast darkness of the sea. The wind was up tonight and the waves crashed.
The low rhythmic tone of the foghorn was soothing.
As if reading his thoughts, she asked, “What is that noise?”
“The foghorn. There are buoys up and down the coast.”
“Makes sense with all the fog.”
“Got you some more candy cap caramels from Eunice, huh?” he asked with a grin.
“Yes, and I blame you. They are addictive.”
“Were you planning to buy them all along or was that an excuse to help that young woman?”
One side of her mouth lifted sadly. “The second one. The candy cap caramels were a bonus. I did get Sara some M&M’s, too.”
“Nothing for me?”
She winced. “That was rude of me, not to get you a snack. I’ll go back tomorrow and get treats for all of us. What’s your poison?”
“Peanut butter cups.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Eunice called me after you left. She likes you.”
“I like her, too.”
“Everyone does. She can be a crusty old broad if you’re a teenager looking to do mischief, but she has a heart bigger than the sky.”
“She asked me to come back so we could have tea.”
“She doesn’t do that for most people. You should feel honored.”
“I do.”
“Are you going to take her up on it?”
“I think so. Maybe on Sunday. The store is closed, so we can’t watch for Miller’s wife. You speak about Eunice being crusty with teenagers looking to do mischief,” she added lightly. “Would that have been you, perchance?”
“Only a little. Kissing girls behind the store, riding my skateboard in the parking lot, that level of mischief.”
Her brows lifted. “Kissed a lot of girls, did you?” Then her eyes briefly widened, like she was startled the words had left her mouth.
The question hovered between them and Ronan had to draw a deep, deep breath. Because he wanted to kiss her.
A lot.